


If we had hearts, they’d beat as one.

by kheradihr



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: F/F, Pre-Series, all of the lions are female, allura's mom was the yellow paladin, poly soulmate sentient robot lions, spoilers for who the previous black paladin was
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-16
Updated: 2016-09-16
Packaged: 2018-08-15 09:19:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,243
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8050792
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kheradihr/pseuds/kheradihr
Summary: For the rest of the universe, five Lions formed Voltron, defender of the universe. For their Paladins, the five Lions were partners and trusted allies. For each other, they were lovers, soulmates, companions, together until the end of time.Needless to say, they don't take true separation well.





	If we had hearts, they’d beat as one.

**Author's Note:**

  * For [wobblyarms](https://archiveofourown.org/users/wobblyarms/gifts).



> Happy birthday my dear friend [Jessie](http://www.twitter.com/jessadilla)! We were talking one night about being emotional about robot lions and this sprang up.

     It was the Lions that alerted the Paladins to Zarkon's betrayal; without them no one would have had any warning until his armies descended upon the fringes of the Altean Alliance. As it was, no one quite knew what to do when the Lions went seemingly berserk, roaring their heads off and destroying their bays in the Temple to get out.

     “Blue! Babe!” cried her Paladin, who pretty much lived inside her instead of taking quarters in the Temple. “Talk to me!"

      ** _< He took her! That bastard stole Black from us! I can’t feel her!>_**  


     Red roared in agreement, equally outraged. Since they were forged eons before Altea was even a planet, Blue and Red had been more in tune with Black. It had something to do with how they were forged and how dark their colors were compared to Green and Yellow and it showed in their reactions to losing their connection to Black. Black was the Head, the place where they converged, the vessel that held them while their souls mingled in the form of Voltron. Black was the beginning and end for Voltron and the Lions. And she was gone.

     Their Paladins were good, some of the best and the first in millennia to have any sense of the sentience that resided in the Lions but it wasn’t enough for them to understand the remaining four’s words amongst their roars. Yellow tore down the blast doors rising around her in misplaced desire to protect her and barreled through the Temple of Lions to get to Red as she let fire drip from her jaws heedless of her Paladin at her feet desperately trying to calm her. With her bulk, Yellow draped herself on Red’s head, purring despite the anxiety and anger coursing through her bond with the Lions and with her own Paladin. Instead of questioning her Lion and her distress, Yellow’s Paladin got up from having tea with her daughter and sought out her husband. In less than an hour, messages and scouting ships scattered to the edges of the universe.

     It was Green, ever logical and thorough-minded in her investigations who put everything together as she scruffed Blue into submission. She ignored Blue’s Paladin’s shouts of thanks; she had bigger fish to fry.  _ **< Zarkon must have done something to make Black cut off her connection with us. She wouldn’t close us out willingly.>**_  


_**< Who cares! We need Black back!>**_ roared Red, muffled under Yellow who was now openly crying and trying to fit her head under Red’s despite being on top of her.

     With precise blasts of her tail, Green made her own path to Red’s hangar and then to Black’s, Red following meekly, carrying Yellow on her back. Green finally let go of Blue’s neck and curled up where Black usually sat so proudly. _**< We can’t find out anything making things harder for the Paladins. Let them do their jobs and then we’ll do ours.>**_ Each Lion curled up around Green, all rumbling enough the area surrounding the Temple trembled.

     The only Paladin willing to approach the suddenly feral Lions was Yellow’s but she had a teenaged daughter; the Lions in this highly emotional state were simply par for the course. Altean puberty was more dangerous than the flaming rockfalls they called rain.

     “We are receiving distress signals from other systems. Zarkon is leading the Galra invasion forces."

      _ **< Black? Has anyone seen Black?>**_  


     Yellow’s Paladin shook her head, sapphire eyes sad and mind smarting from the force of all four reaching for her mind. She knew who the Lions were asking after even if she couldn’t understand them completely.

     “I know that without Black we cannot form Voltron but we can still fight. We, your Paladins, are going to meet the betrayer on the battlefield. Will you not join us?"

     Inside their minds they debated the options.

      _ **< If we fight we can hurt Zarkon,>**_ Red provided pointlessly. They all wanted to hurt Zarkon, make him pay for taking their precious Black from them.

      _ **< More importantly with Black like this we’ll need another Paladin,>**_ Green thought. _**< I will not form Voltron with Zarkon’s influence on us.>**_  


      _ **< Who would want to. Besides whoever is the new Paladin must be interesting enough to be worthy of Black.>**_ Blue nuzzled Red.

      _ **< I just want Black back,>**_ moaned Yellow.

     Green stood first, shaking off the others. She roared for her Paladin and as each Lion rose, Yellow’s Paladin smiled with tears in her eyes.

     “Thank you, Lions. Thank you so much."

 

     War was hell and always cost dearly.

     Black was theirs again, the distraction plan successful except for one casualty.

     Yellow and her Paladin’s daughter sobbed together in heartbreak over her death. Ever the peacemaker and politician, she had gone before Zarkon to negotiate a ceasefire as the other Lions made a rescue mission to retrieve Black, who protectively bubbled herself in the bowels of Zarkon’s flagship.

     Zarkon didn’t even giver her a chance to speak before stabbing her through the throat with his bayard. The schism and subsequent loss of another Paladin’s consciousness drove the Lions berserk once again. They gave up the pretense of stealth and ripped their way to Black. Yellow fired upon Zarkon’s throne, taking her Paladin’s body gently in her mouth and flying back to the Castle roaring her grief. The other three were right behind her after tearing Zarkon's flagship asunder, grief lesser but carrying all the rage Yellow couldn’t feel at the moment with Black between them.

     Five Lions, three Paladins. Without Paladins they couldn’t form humanoid Voltron, or any previous form of Voltron. But for a moment, the Lions had Black again and that was worth the heavy loss.

     Black dropped her shielding reluctantly despite Red, Blue, and Green pressing insistently against her protective bubble. She accepted Red and Green’s nuzzling and Blue’s enthusiastic pounce that got the others grousing at her but she was still closed off from the other four. It had Yellow crying even harder, shaking the Castle with the emotions only she was willing to show. When Black finally dropped her mental walls somewhere in the wormhole back to Altea the other Lions felt her maelstrom of emotions. Shock and horror at what Zarkon had done — all the lions saw her memories and revulsion rose in them in answer. Grief that she was separated from the Lions and relief that the others were safe. Shame that she didn’t stop Zarkon; in times before they called Altea home the Lions occasionally found Paladins who became unworthy of their duty. Their deaths were always quick but Zarkon deserved a messy and slow death for his perversions against the universe. Disgust with herself that she never sensed the twistedness inside him; they had been a partnership for _centuries_.

     What she didn’t expect was the tsunami of emotion from the others. They missed her, all desperate for reassurance that she was okay, that she was still theirs and they hers. After the tsunami was a fathomless ocean of space filled with absolute zero rage and the knowledge that all five of them would make Zarkon pay for this pointless, costly war. That the abomination he became would be returned to the universe purged until only pure quintessence remained. That was what had her vocalizing and returning the Lions’ affection. When Red, Blue, and Green were satisfied that Black was fine — _**< I had to shut him out and I couldn’t sever him fast enough so I had to close you out too. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I’ll never do it again, I promise.>**_ — all four descended on Yellow and Allura. When Coran found the princess she was sleeping, exhausted from weeping, amongst the Lions. A faint growl came from one or even all and he backed away from Yellow’s bay, leaving his charge in the safest place in the universe.

 

     War was hell and its cost was too high.

     Five Lions, zero Paladins.

     Altea, the bastion of peace, had fallen, razed by Galran ships.

     Now all that was left of a legacy of hard won peace and prosperity shared with the rest of the universe was the Castle, the king, the princess, and an advisor. Without Paladins the Lions all lived in Black’s hangar together, the proximity rare because they always had Paladins. In a life of billions of years, individual years and decades without Paladins didn’t really count. At this point King Alfor’s focus was on surviving and ensuring Zarkon never got his hands on the Lions. This was their life, wormholing sporadically between systems and galaxies, constantly on the run; Alfor didn’t even want the Lions to fight on their own in fear that they might be captured. He was trying to staunch a mortal wound, the acts of a desperate man trying to save what he had left. Allura, the princess they knew from conception, was now a hardened tactician, handling her father’s running strategy with aplomb that had all the Lions purring and reaching for her in hopes she would accept one of them as Paladin. Yellow grumbled that she wanted Allura long before she became a warrior. Coran repaired what he could as well as he could but they all were running out of time and options. 

      _ **< We can’t stay like this,>**_ grumbled Blue from underneath Green and Red.

      _ **< Speak for yourself,>**_ sniped Red from her place happily sandwiched between Green and Black.

      _ **< Blue is right. The Galra will catch us eventually.>**_ Black spoke from hard-earned experience.

     Yellow’s head rose to look over the pile she curled around as if she could protect them with her body alone. _**< Then what do we do?>**_  


      _ **< We split up.>**_ Green answered instantly. The Lions all started and stared at her. _**< Hear me out. The universe is huge. If we opened random wormholes without setting coordinates the likelihood of Zarkon and the Galra actually finding us are…>**_  


     The number that flew through their minds was obscene enough that the idea seemed plausible.

      _ **< But what about the Castle?>**_ demanded Yellow. _**< We can’t leave Allura! We’re all she has left!>**_  


      _ **< I’ll stay with the Castle. I can hide it.>**_ Black ignored the protests.

      _ **< I don’t want to be apart from everyone,>**_ Blue admitted and continued on before Red could get on her case. _**< But if it means keeping Allura safe and Zarkon away from ultimate victory then we should do it.>**_  


      _ **< Am I the only one who is against this?>**_ Red growled, extricating herself from the others to pace. _**< We are Voltron! We were made to defend the universe, not run and hide in the face of the greatest threat of our lives! We can still fight without Paladins piloting us. How often did we do our duty without anything but each other at our backs?>**_  


     Even as Red’s words echoed through their minds one of the doors to Black’s bay opened. Allura rubbed sleep-gummed eyes and looked from Red pacing to the disturbed pile of Lions.

     “Something’s wrong, isn’t it.” When the Lions didn’t answer, all of them staring at her, she ran a shaky hand through her hair. “I could hear you all growling in my head loud enough I woke up. Tell me the truth; we have no chance of outrunning Zarkon or his forces. It’s okay,” she rambled on as she struggled to free her fingers from a tangle. “You don’t have to stay. You have Paladins out there, waiting for you. Staying to protect us isn’t worth it. Oh!"

     Red bumped against Allura, purring and trying to nuzzle away the tears pouring down her face.

      _ **< How do I stop her crying? Allura, please stop crying. I’m sorry I’m not going anywhere. Help me!>**_ Red hissed at the other Lions.

      _ **< This is why we have to go. Zarkon will hunt Alfor and Allura forever if he thinks we’re here. Black knows Zarkon the best, she can hide the Castle.>**_ Green sat back as Yellow and Blue descended on Allura, all deep purrs and twitching tails.

      _ **< I want Allura to outlive her mother,>**_ whispered Yellow as Allura leaned against her muzzle, laughingly trying to fend off Blue’s attention.

      _ **< Okay, okay! We’ll do this plan, just please, no more crying,>**_ begged Red, knowing that Yellow, Blue, and even steady Green were too close to crying for her comfort.

 

     “Lions, we are secure. I repeat, the Castle is secure,” King Alfor announced over the comms hoarsely. The crash landing on Arus had knocked out almost all power and systems but the Castle was intact. His daughter, all he had left of his wife and Altea, slept safely in a cryopod. He was badly injured in a way that he knew he would never see his Allura’s beautiful eyes again.

     Five roars over the comms startled Alfor out of falling unconscious. They were victorious. Alford smiled and sent them the castle’s coordinates as shock overcame him and he blacked out.

     With coordinates in their minds the Lions looked to each other. Arus was systems away, the wormhole that evacuated the Castle forcibly closed by Yellow and Red tearing it apart. The Castle was safe; there was enough wreckage from Galran forces and the Castle that Zarkon would assume it destroyed.

     Green spoke first as they floated in space, dreading the next part of the plan.

      _ **< It’s time. It’s really time.>**_  


     No one spoke, too away of if they spoke the tremor in her voice would echo across their own.

    _I love you._  


_I don’t want to be away from you._

_I’m so scared._

_I know._

_I love you._

_I’m going to miss you._

_I don’t know if I can do this._

_I don’t want to be alone._

_I love you._

_I love you so much, so much._

     For a moment, an eternity, their thoughts were an echo chamber of five voices, always in cacophonous concert saying everything they didn’t need to say but did so anyway.

      _ **< This is how she felt. This is how dying feels,>**_ choked out Yellow.

      _ **< We’re not dying!>**_ snapped Red with unnecessary force, but her voice was still thready. _**< We are not dying! This is just like a solo mission.>**_  


      _ **< A solo mission of forever,>**_ corrected Blue, full of dark humor.

      _ **< Don’t be dramatic. We’re only going to be apart until new Paladins are called. It never takes long.>**_  


      _ **< Green’s right,>**_ Black said. _**< We will all be together soon enough.>**_  


     Black’s confidence bolstered the other Lions enough that their emotions steadied. No one truly like this but it was a mission. The moment it was completed they’d be together again. They would be whole and they would destroy Zarkon and the blasphemers who dared to call themselves druids. They remembered the true druids, the ones who forged them, raised them, trained them, loved them like family, died for them to live. What Zarkon had at his side was a disgusting joke.

     Slowly, they formed wormholes with any destination in their memory banks over and over, letting them open and close until Black formed one last one. Even if they couldn’t be together, they would at least leave together. They each took a part of that wormhole ring with them and four Lions thought about anything but love as the wormhole splintered and scattered them to the universe. Black landed on Arus feeling empty and heartsick. The Lions were far enough away that while their connection wasn’t closed it was empty of any other voices. For the second time in too short a time there was nothing inside her mind but her own voice. Over the Castle she roared her defiance before returning to her grossly empty hangar to wait. No one knew she bubbled herself tightly to have it feel as if she were surrounded by the others. No one would know as each century passed her bubble grew increasingly stronger and tighter in reaction to her loneliness.

     Yellow denned where no one could hear her cry and let the sky continue when she no longer could. Gratefully she let exhaustion take her into unconsciousness.

     Green found herself dwarfed for once by something entirely organic and living. The trees on her planet were gigantic and buzzed with energy. Convinced the trees could imitate the purring snores of the others, green curled up amongst the roots and put her hypothesis to the test.

     Blue fell into hibernation as soon as she made planetfall on a beautiful blue marble of a planet. She didn’t want to be awake any longer than necessary.

     Red couldn’t rest, she was too restless without the others to balance out her nature. Instead she let herself drift through the vacuum of space. When the Galra came for her, millennia later, she fought until she finally exhausted herself enough to fall into bubbled sleep. Only then could the Galra capture her.

 

     People wonder if androids dream of electric sheep.

     Another question is what do sentient transforming robot Lions dream of?

     They dream of love scattered like stardust.

     They dream of memories of togetherness to drown out the gaping emptiness in their souls.

     They dream of how it felt when they formed Voltron.

     They dream of peace and unity.

     They dream away the millennia until woken by Paladins worthy to touch their quintessence.

     

     Black woke to Blue, beautiful, bright Blue screaming in her ears and mind an unending chorus of joy in reunion.

      _ **< Paladins! I have five of them! You can’t have Lance — he’s mine! — but you can one of the other four!>**_  


      _ **< Oh Blue,>**_ was all Black could get out before she bowled Blue over and nuzzled her.

      _I missed you so much._  


_Never leave me again._

_I love you._

     Black hesitantly let Blue go to retrieve the other Lions, Allura shouldering the mantle her father left behind being the only thing keeping her on Arus.

     She could feel Green and Yellow as they came in range. They tumbled her in their haste to physically connect with her, heedless of their Paladins and passengers.

      _I missed you so much._  


_Never leave me again._

_I love you._

     Their Paladins could barely hold their fury in check when they learned of Red’s fate. The battle to regain her was a footnote in the sheer exultation of forming Voltron for the first time in so long.

    _I missed you so much._  


_Never leave me again._

_I love you._

_Together again._

     It didn’t matter that ten thousand years passed and Zarkon abused galaxies in his lust for power. They were together. Their Paladins were children, still learning who they were and now they also had to be Paladins but the Lions were fine with that. They survived ten thousand years apart — _**< Never never ever ever again,>**_ stated Green emphatically as she chewed on Red’s tail in retaliation for _Red getting caught by the Galra **< How could you>**_ everyone scolded — being patient as Paladins came into themselves was nothing. Each day the Lions trained with their Paladins and every night they ran wild over Arus like they were cubs again, exultant in their unity. In the upper atmosphere and into space they roared, announcing their return, daring the universe to throw its worst at them because they were together again and nothing would change that.

     War was hell but now they had the means to fight. Zarkon might have won the battle — _**< And every other for the past ten thousand years,> <Way to ruin the moment, Red!>**_ — but they would win the war.

     They were Voltron, defender of the universe.

     And they were together.


End file.
